Stories for December 2015

Over 8.000 cruise visitors arrived in Ushuaia over the weekend when the Star Princess (2.600 pax), Norwegian Sun (2.400 pax), Infinity (2.400 pax) and the Seabourn Quest coincided in the extreme south port of Argentina in the peak of the Southern hemisphere season.

Reclaiming South Georgia is the story of the SGHT Habitat Restoration Project fieldwork that took place on South Georgia in three phases (in 2011, 2013 and 2015). The latest edition of South Georgia Newsletter says that text and photographs tell the story of how this world-leading project baited every square inch of rodent-infested land on the island.

Analysts expect Brazil's economy to contract by 2.81% in 2016 after contracting by 3.70% this year, marking the biggest drop in economic output in 25 years, the Central Bank said on Monday. Economists are forecasting an inflation rate of 10.72% this year, the highest rate in 13 years, and 6.86% in 2016. The estimates seem to be supported by the latest numbers referred to the budget deficit.

The huge corruption case swirling around Brazilian oil company Petrobras is being called the world’s largest, and increasing numbers of Norwegian companies seem to be getting tangled up in it. Norwegian bosses mostly claim no knowledge of any bribes being paid, but investigations are underway on several fronts.

Less than one third of Spaniards want a re-run of 20 December's election, which resulted in a stalemate, with two-thirds favoring a pact between parties, a poll showed. Just 7% of those surveyed said they would change their votes in a fresh election, while 87.1% said they would vote the same way.

A growing number of foreign investors are signaling interest in Argentina following the pro-market turn that newly-inaugurated President Mauricio Macri started showing since taking office. The latest financial player to endorse the country as a promising investment destination was JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, where current Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay worked in the past.

Brazil’s reluctance to accept an Argentine born pro-settler politician as Israeli ambassador has triggered a diplomatic clash and concerns it could seriously damage future relations between the two countries.

The new five-year Strategy for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2016-2020 was published on 27th November. The Strategy sets out an ambitious agenda to deliver the highest standards of environmental stewardship and governance for the British Overseas Territory, according to the latest South Georgia Newsletter.